Many of us love animals, especially dogs. But before you get a puppy, you should remember about the high responsibility for the life of a new family member. Like people and animals, they tend to get sick, and it is very likely that sooner or later it will be necessary to seriously tinker with one's pet and spend money not only financially but mentally.
But now the focus of our attention is not quite a disease, however, it is it that requires a lot of nerves and patience from the breeder. False puppy in dogs - what is it and how to cope?
The concept of false pregnancy
This is not to say that false pregnancy is a disease. False puppy is understood as a syndrome indicating the condition of the animal during which it shows signs of pregnancy, but the bitch does not bear puppies as such due to the lack of fertilization. There is another form of this syndrome when mating was nevertheless carried out, but the embryos died for some reason. But there can be many reasons for the resorption of embryos. This is any disease, and poor feeding, and an unsuccessful choice of a male for breeding.
Simply put, a symptom of false sensitivity can manifest itself both in physiological changes and in the psychological behavior of the bitch.
The occurrence of this syndrome can be considered normal, since almost every breeder of a bitch encounters it, regardless of the breed of the animal.
Causes of the syndrome
To understand why false dogs appear, you need to know about the stages of the estrous cycle. Just during some of them, hormonal changes occur that can lead to the appearance of this syndrome:
- Proestrus is the stage before estrus, during which the eggs are formed for fertilization. During this period, the animal develops bloody discharge. On a walk, the animal can leave a kind of mark on which the male finds a bitch. However, the dog still will not allow to make a cage.
- Estrus is the estrus period itself, when it is best to mate, the so-called ovulation.
- Metaeustrus is the stage after the "hunt", during which the corpus luteum should exit (in the event that fertilization was not).
- Anestrus is the last stage when the bitch is at rest, and her sexual behavior is weakly manifested.
The reason for the appearance of a false pregnancy is that same yellow body. It is responsible for the production of progesterone, which is the hormone of pregnancy. In dogs, unlike other animals, the corpus luteum does not leave the body, but continues to function in it for about 2 months.
Because of this, signals are received in the bitch’s brain, indicating that the body needs to prepare for pregnancy.
Signs
How long does false dogs last? Most often, this period is identical to the duration of a real pregnancy - about 60-70 days.
Very many dog breeders who have recently become such do not immediately understand what false puppies have in dogs. The symptoms of this syndrome are quite diverse, and to understand what is happening with your animal, it is enough to pay attention to the behavior and condition of the bitch. We conditionally divide the symptoms into physiological and behavioral.
Physiological signs
The physiological symptoms include:
- An increase in the abdomen, often sagging.
- Breast swelling, hardening. In the prenatal period, the release of milk itself is possible.
- During the alleged birth, “fights” and attempts may occur. This is especially pronounced when the bitch has already whelped earlier.
- Temperature rise.
- Loss of appetite or moodiness when choosing food.
- Toxicosis.
- The occurrence of lactation after pseudobirths.
Behavioral symptoms
- The dog begins to build a nest for itself: to drag toys and things into one secluded place.
- The bitch becomes restless, annoyed.
- The appetite sharply increases.
- A dog can babysit the same toy, acting as if it were her puppy. This should be noted, because in true pregnancy the bitch will never play with the toy, because she does not need it.
- The dog becomes aggressive when trying to pick up toys from its "nest", because it can take them for their puppies.
Now you know what constitutes false puppy in dogs.
What to do?
The only true question in this situation is what to do. First of all, do not be afraid of this. There is a certain number of actions that must be performed in case of a syndrome.
Of course, you need to contact a specialist. He will establish the actual presence of a false pregnancy and explain the principles of treatment.
If you notice that there is a false puppy dog, treatment is not necessary to start immediately. For starters, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a false pregnancy syndrome.
Specialists recommend sterilizing the female dog, which eliminates the onset of the syndrome. If, for some reason, the dog breeder does not want to sterilize the bitch, then the following prophylaxis is necessary.
Syndrome Prevention
On the 10-12th day of the disease, it is necessary to mark 9 weeks in advance on the calendar. Within 1-2 days before the marked date, it is necessary to reduce the dog’s nutrition by 3 times and reduce the fluid intake to the maximum. On the marked day, you must not feed the animal at all.
Do not worry, such a “diet” will not harm the animal - this is necessary to suppress lactation in the bitch.
The next 3-5 days, the animal must be fed a reduced diet. You should also increase the duration of walks and physical activity.
Please note that in case of milk in the dog, do not express it. If the animal begins to suck out milk itself, then this situation must be put on a blanket on it. However, expressing milk in small quantities is acceptable if the mammary glands swell excessively, and there is a risk of inflammation. But with such problems, it is advisable to immediately contact a veterinarian.
After the prophylaxis, the symptoms of false pregnancy should subside.
Is it necessary to treat?
To treat or not to treat? The thing is that symptoms can go away on their own and without consequences. But only if initially they were rather weak.
In a different situation, there can be several ways to solve the problem, starting from drugs that help prevent lactation, ending with drugs that suppress estrus. You must remember that the use of any hormonal drugs can have an adverse effect on the body of a bitch, therefore it is necessary that the doctor prescribe the treatment.
Therapies
False puppy dogs - how to treat?
- Parenteral administration of prolactin inhibitors is considered the best treatment. The cure for false puppies in dogs can be different. The best drugs are Nauloxone. Dosage: 0.01 mg / kg of the dog’s weight 1-2 times a day until the animal recovers completely. Also used "Bromkriptin" - in the same dosage 1 time per day until complete recovery. Since the main side effect of these drugs is vomiting and nausea, it is necessary to give antiemetic tablets to the dog in half an hour.
- A qualitative result is noted when using homotoxicological and homeopathic preparations. These funds are an excellent substitute for hormone replacement therapy. They are also very easy to find, so there should not be any problems with treatment. One of these drugs is Ovarovit. The tool begins to be used 1-1.5 months after the estrus ends. Injections are administered once every 3-4 days for 14 days. The use of tablets is also possible.
- Another treatment option is considered homeopathic therapy.
Also, in combination with treatment, sedatives are often prescribed, such as Novopassit, Stop-stress and others. These drugs are relatively easy for the dog. If the disease progresses in a more severe form, the veterinarian may prescribe more serious drugs.
Do not forget that false dogs, treatment, drugs and symptoms should be monitored, prescribed and determined by the veterinarian.
What is the danger of the syndrome?
The danger of the disease, first of all, is experienced by the dog itself. False puppy can provoke a disease such as mastitis, since milk can accumulate during the “spoon” period.
It is also possible the occurrence of a disease such as pyometra (inflammation of the uterus with pus), which occurs due to the accumulation of uterine mucus. This disease is extremely serious, since mortality is high if it occurs. Treatment is carried out only by removing the reproductive organs.
Also, this disease often occurs when treating a bitch with hormonal drugs.
Breeders Mistakes
There are several mistakes and misconceptions that breeders can make when dogs get false puppies. Here is some of them:
- It is believed that one-time mating will help prevent the occurrence of false pregnancy forever. This is not true. Sometimes situations arise when mating only exacerbates the symptoms of the disease.
- Since the dog often behaves inappropriately during a long period of time, some owners may decide to punish the dog. This is absolutely prohibited, since the syndrome itself occurs due to hormonal disruptions, and the dog simply can not control it.
- Females with false pregnancy are prone to pyometra. In fact, this disease can occur during a false pregnancy, but only because both the syndrome itself and the pyometra originate during the same stage.
- During false pregnancy, the breeder takes the toy “puppy” from the dog. Doing this is not worth it, because the animal needs to show its maternal instincts to at least someone.
Now every breeder fully understands what false dogs have. It is worth noting that if the bitch does not bear any breeding value, and you do not plan to get offspring from her, then it is advisable to sterilize the dog, as this will not only prevent the occurrence of a false pregnancy syndrome, but also prevent diseases such as, for example, oncology .
Most importantly, do not be afraid of the difficulties that may arise with your beloved animal. All of them can be solved - most importantly, turn to a specialist in time, gain patience and strength, and go through all the problems with a furry family member.